Texas Rangers investigating shooting death of Gonzales man following standoff

A Gonzales man is dead following an officer-involved shooting at a trailer park residence on North Church Street Wednesday, Dec. 18.

The Texas Rangers are investigating the shooting death of Jose Manuel Ruiz-Sanchez, 46, by a Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Special Response Team (SRT) member that stemmed from an attempt to serve a warrant on Sanchez.

DPS Sgt. Ruben San Miguel, a spokesman for the department, said the DPS was called in by Gonzales County Sheriff’s deputies to assist in serving the warrant. However, Ruiz-Sanchez allegedly “approached and produced a weapon and was subsequently shot by the SRT team from the Texas Department of Public Safety,” San Miguel said.

The five members of the SRT are being subjected to mandatory drug testing as protocol for an officer-involved shooting, San Miguel said. No other information will be released until Texas Rangers can complete their investigation.

Ruiz-Sanchez was pronounced dead at the scene early Wednesday morning by an SRT doctor. Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Deidra Voigt then ordered an autopsy be performed due to the manner of death. He appears to have been shot after what was an hours-long standoff with law enforcement during which he first refused to surrender late Tuesday night.

The warrant appears to have been for a possible arson which took place in the county and for which Ruiz-Sanchez had been identified as a suspect. This was the second time in the past five years deputies requested assistance from the SRT in apprehending Ruiz-Sanchez on criminal charges and both times the suspect was alleged to have been brandishing a weapon at law enforcement.

Ruiz-Sanchez was just released from the Gonzales County Jail in September 2023 following sentencing for shooting at GCSO deputies during a September 2019 pursuit after pleading guilty to aggravated assault of a public servant before 25th District Judge William Old III after spending 1,462 days in jail — which worked out to almost day for day the amount of time of his sentence.

However, charges of driving while intoxicated and evading arrest with a vehicle against Ruiz-Sanchez were dismissed by Old as part of the plea agreement the judge accepted.

On Sept. 20, 2019, at about 1 a.m., Gonzales County deputies were attempting to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle with an equipment violation at mile marker 645 on Interstate 10. However, before the deputies could make contact with the driver, later identified as Ruiz-Sanchez, he drove off and a pursuit was initiated.

During the pursuit, Ruiz-Sanchez reportedly fired several shots at the deputies’ vehicles before exiting the interstate onto a county road, crashing into a tree and then fleeing the scene on foot. Deputies pursued Ruiz-Sanchez to a residence on South Avenue A and South First Street in Waelder, where he was observed with two handguns before entering the residence.

Law enforcement created a perimeter around the property and residents nearby had to be evacuated for their own safety. While barricaded in the house, Ruiz-Sanchez fired numerous shots directed at deputies during the standoff and was observed with a weapon in hand in the doorway of the residence.

Texas Department of Public Safety Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) and Special Response Team and Crisis Negotiation Team deployed officers to the scene to convince Ruiz-Sanchez to surrender. About four hours later, he exited the residence and was taken into custody without further incident.

Ruiz-Sanchez was initially charged with attempted capital murder of a peace officer for the 2019 incident, but that charge was later lowered to aggravated assault of a peace officer.